Corals Discovered Where None Were Expected

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An area of deep-sea coral reefs has just been discovered off the
coast of Israel, the first such reef to be found in what is
generally considered a region with sparse sea life.

The exploration vessel Nautilus, operated by an American crew
with a team of experts from the University of Haifa in Israel
aboard, discovered the
deep-sea corals.

The area stretches over a few miles, roughly 2,297 feet (700
meters) under the ocean surface and some 19 to 26 miles (30 to 40
kilometers) off the coast of Tel Aviv.

"We did not expect, know or even imagine that we would come
across these reefs and certainly not such large ones. It's like
finding a flourishing oasis in the middle of the desert," said
Yizhaq Makovsky, who directed the University of Haifa control
center for the project.

The discovery of these
coral reefs has broad scientific importance. They can help
researchers to better understand the mechanisms of survival in
the environmental conditions of the
deep sea, as well as to determine how these conditions
correlate with the effect of global changes over time.

In-depth research on sea-bed samples from the area has yet to be
completed, but additional discoveries include two
shipwrecks – probably modern boats that sunk over the past
few decades; and fish and crabs that were photographed in their
natural habitat for the first time, hundreds of meters beneath
the Mediterranean surface.

"This cruise has provided a nutshell sampling of this maritime
region, but our discovery only demonstrates the potential of the
many surprises that await us in the depths of this area,"
Makovsky said. "An immediate implication of this discovery is
that there is an urgent need to classify the area as a deep-sea
reserve, as are other coral reef areas around the world."